Tuesday, February 02, 2010

Happy Groundhog day woodchuck-chuckers! I've always loved this strange little holiday and it always bring back special memories of when I was first dating my future wife. See, many people love the movie "Groundhog Day," but a lot of folks don't realize it wasn't filmed in Punxatwaney, Pennsylvania. It was filmed in Woodstock, IL...my wife's hometown. The first time I traveled to Woodstock to meet her parents was during the production of the movie. The town had images of groundhogs everywhere. My future in-laws even got their picture taken with Bill Murray and later realized there was no film in the camera. Ahh, the days of film.

Today Woodstock even has their own Groundhog Day celebration and is gradually memorializing different locations where filming happened around the town square. You can visit "The Bum's Alley," "Ned's Corner," and even see a plaque on the sidewalk where the puddle was that says "Bill Murray Stepped Here."

My favorite character in "Groundhog Day" is Ned Ryerson played by the one and only Stephen Tobolowsky. This gives me a perfect chance to mention my new favorite podcast, "The Tobolowsky Files." It's pretty much just Stephen Tobolowsky telling stories, and he's a great storyteller.